MESOLITHIC PERIOD

•Twelve thousand years ago, the ice age came to an end, and the Mesolithic (Middle Stone Age)
began .

•Mesolithic comes from the greek word, "mesos" which means "middle" and "lithos" which means
"stone" is the period between the Upper Paleolithic and the Neolithic .

•the start and end dates of the Mesolithic Period vary by geographical region, it dated approximately
from 10,000 BCE to 8,000 BCE.

•This age is characterized by the appearance of Microliths (small bladed stone tools).
 ACTUAL IMAGE OF A MICROLITHS

(I n 2009, Lars Larsson and Arne Sjostrom of the Department of Archaeology and Ancient History of Lund
University found a Mesolithic arrow preserved in a peat bog in Sweden)

•The people of this age lived on hunting, fishing, and food gathering; later on they also domesticated
animals.
•During the Mesolithic period, humans developed cave paintings, engravings, and ceramics to their daily
lives.

•The Mesolithic period ends when agriculture starts. This is the time of the late hunter-gatherers.